Jolyon Palmer thinks Max Verstappen is ‘going to need’ the help of an unlikely ally in F1 title fight

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As Max Verstappen ramps up his efforts to spoil Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s two-way title fight, Jolyon Palmer has called for him to enlist the help of an unlikely ally in order for him to secure a fifth consecutive championship.

The Red Bull driver currently sits 63 points behind championship leader Piastri in the F1 standings, which may sound like too big a deficit to overturn when taking into account the six rounds that are remaining in the current season.

However, Verstappen has made up a lot of ground in the last three rounds, outscoring the high-flying Australian by 41 points to overturn the 104-point deficit he held following the conclusion of the Dutch Grand Prix in August.

McLaren are aware of the threat that Verstappen poses and have been told that they must make a brutal ‘decision’ between their two star drivers in order to guarantee that the drivers’ championship returns to Woking with the British constructor.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen has already confirmed one Red Bull ‘theory’ about why they struggled in 2025

Jolyon Palmer thinks Max Verstappen is ‘going to need’ the help of George Russell in the 2025 F1 title fight

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer was hesitant to include Verstappen in the 2025 F1 title fight before the Singapore Grand Prix, but has since changed his tune after seeing how competitive the Dutchman was at the wheel of the RB21.

Speaking during a breakdown of the opening lap in Singapore for F1’s official YouTube channel, Palmer also touched upon Verstappen utilising the impressive pace of George Russell to hinder the McLarens whilst he racks up the race wins.

After being asked if there’s still a chance of Verstappen securing a fifth consecutive title, the pundit replied, “I have to say yes, there is, more than I thought before Singapore.

“The fact that Red Bull were competitive on a very different circuit to Baku and Monza does speak now that they have found something on the car. These are the sort of tracks, Singapore, where Max has never won. Red Bull haven’t been that competitive in recent years.

“So if they’re fighting for a victory here, they can now fight for wins everywhere else. And it should be a chance for Max to get himself towards the championship fight. Of course, he’s going to need a little bit of something else.

“He’s going to need Russell to be quick again. Maybe Antonelli, maybe the Ferraris, because if the McLarens finish second and third, they will still finish ahead of Max Verstappen in the championship.

“So, he’s going to have the pace, but he’s going to need a little bit more than that to fight for the title.”

Russell was mightily fast on the streets of Singapore as he took his fifth career F1 win ahead of Verstappen. Piastri and Norris didn’t even get a sniff of the race win as they failed to get past the Red Bull of Verstappen in second.

READ MORE: Christijan Albers names his ‘top three’ drivers in F1 as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are overlooked

Max Verstappen has been tipped to replace George Russell at Mercedes in the future

Verstappen and Russell have butted heads in several incidents across their respective tenures in the sport, most recently at the 2025 Spanish GP.

After being told to let Russell overtake him due to an earlier off, the Dutchman seemingly rammed his car into the side of Russell’s Mercedes, resulting in a penalty for the Red Bull man that F1 fans thought warranted a harsher punishment.

After rumours emerged in July regarding a potential Mercedes switch for Verstappen, Russell looked to be on his way out due to the fact that Toto Wolff was against the fiery team chemistry that would come with both drivers being paired together in the same team.

Russell is at risk of becoming the ‘Andy Murray’ of F1 in the move. It’s clear that Verstappen is a generational talent, and the British driver may have to make way for Wolff’s dream driver in the future.

The 27-year-old is yet to complete negotiations with Mercedes over his seat for next year, which is all but set in stone in the midst of a very impressive season with the German constructor.